Microsoft isn't selling as many Windows Phone devices as it would like, so it's starting to give away licenses for free (in India, at least).

According to The Times of India, Microsoft is waiving the Windows Phone license fee for two Indian handset makers -- Lava and Karbonn.

Windows Phone licensing fees can cost anywhere from about $5 to $30 per device sold. Nokia, which signed on to exclusively make Windows Phones in 2011, was charged $20 to $30 per Lumia device.

Microsoft's software licensing has typically been a huge money maker for the company, but it's realizing that it needs to take more drastic measures if it wants to compete with Google's Android and Apple's iOS for market share.

Microsoft is likely hoping that waived license fees will attract more hardware partners, meaning more Windows Phone options for customers. IDC said Windows Phone OS has less than 10 percent smartphone market share in India.

[SOURCE: Life Hacker]

This could be indicative of new strategies coming from the Windows giant, as plenty of other changes have recently taken place within its walls -- the largest being former CEO Steve Ballmer's announcement that he would be retiring as Microsoft's CEO within a year last August. Satya Nadella was named the new CEO in January 2014.

"We are still committed to making Windows Phone devices," said Yang. "Compared with Android, the priority of Windows Phone is much lower but is still one of our choices of OS. We are definitely using a multi OS strategy. With Windows Phone, one direction for us – and one that we are now following – is dual OS. Dual OS as in Android and Windows together.

"If it is Windows only, maybe people will not find it as easy a decision to buy the phone. If they have the Android and Windows together, you can change it as you wish and it is much easier for people to choose Windows Phone.

"We think the dual OS [device] can be a new choice for the consumer. It will be on sale in the US in Q2."